English

Observation of Self-Similarity in the Magnetic Fields Generated by the Ablative Nonlinear Rayleigh-Taylor Instability

Plasma Physics 2026-07-08 v1
Authors: L. Gao , P. M. Nilson , I. V. Igumenschev , G. Fiksel , R. Yan , J. R. Davies , D. Martinez , V. Smalyuk , M. G. Haines , E. G. Blackman , D. H. Froula , R. Betti , D. D. Meyerhofer
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Abstract

Magnetic fields generated by the nonlinear Rayleigh-Taylor growth of laser-seeded three-dimensional broadband perturbations were measured in laser-accelerated planar targets using ultrafast proton radiography. The experimental data show self-similar behavior in the growing cellular magnetic field structures. These observations are consistent with a bubble competition and merger model that predicts the time evolution of the number and size of the bubbles, linking the cellular magnetic field structures with the Rayleigh-Taylor bubble and spike growth.

Keywords

Rayleigh-Taylor instability magnetic field generation self-similarity proton radiography laser-plasma interaction bubble merger

Cite

@article{arxiv.2607.07356,
  title  = {Observation of Self-Similarity in the Magnetic Fields Generated by the Ablative Nonlinear Rayleigh-Taylor Instability},
  author = {L. Gao and P. M. Nilson and I. V. Igumenschev and G. Fiksel and R. Yan and J. R. Davies and D. Martinez and V. Smalyuk and M. G. Haines and E. G. Blackman and D. H. Froula and R. Betti and D. D. Meyerhofer},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2607.07356},
  year   = {2026}
}